This invention relates generally to apparatus for applying transfers or designs to garments particularly in retail outlets. Garments such as T-shirts and sweat shirts are commonly available with various designs, emblems or letters located thereon. Such garments have become increasingly popular. This popularity has been sufficient to result in a great demand for a wide variety of designs. In order to satisfy this demand for variety it has become common for retail outlets to sell the designs and garments separately. The retailer then applies the design to the garment. This enables the retailer to provide a wide variety of designs without the necessity of stocking the extensive and costly inventory of garments which would otherwise be necessary to provide such variety.
The apparatus of the present invention is a heat transfer machine particularly designed to apply transfers to various garments. The apparatus is designed to be used in combination with transfers of the type which are comprised of a design in thermosetting ink or inks positioned on a carrier material. The mirror image of the desired design is placed on the carrier so that when the design is transferred to the garment, the desired design is achieved. In applying such transfers to garments, the transfer is placed adjacent to the garment. They are then compressed together while applying heat. When heated, the thermosetting inks of which the design is comprised leave the carrier and flow into the fibers of the fabric. Once set the inks become permanently affixed to the fabric, notwithstanding subsequent applications of heat.
Many different types of heat transfer machines, such as presses and the like, which are well-known in the prior art, have been used for this purpose. Most of them have had one deficiency or another. Many of the existing presses lack the requisite amount of pressure between their platens. Additionally, it has been difficult to adjust the magnitude of the pressure of some of these presses. Many of the prior art devices do not operate at the requisite temperature resulting in a design which easily becomes disconnected from the garment. Other presses, although they may apply the requisite amount of heat and pressure, provide no means for applying that heat and pressure the requisite amount of time.
When the requisite temperature and pressure have been exerted upon the transfer and garment for the proper amount of time, the platens must be carefully disengaged so as to prevent smearing or lifting of the thermosetting inks prior to their setting.